Supersonically spray-coated zinc ferrite/graphitic-carbon nitride composite as a stable high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries

This manuscript reports the preparation, characterization, and testing of stable high-capacity lithium-ion battery anodes based on graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanosheets hosting ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles (ZFCN). The ZFCN is prepared by a one-pot thermal process, then supersonic cold spraying is used to rapidly deposit films with a lamellar morphology that allows enhanced capacity retention by preventing particle agglomeration. The presence of g-CN nanosheets minimizes degradation of ZnFe2O4 by providing a buffering space during the lithiation/delithiation process. The ZFCN composite anodes exhibit first reversible capacities of 1550 mAh·g−1 at 50 mA·g−1 and up to 934 mAh·g−1 at 1000 mA·g−1 after 20 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance and capacity retention (88% after 160 cycles at 100 mA·g−1 relative to the first reversible capacity) are attributed to highly reversible alloying/conversion mechanisms. The combination of high performance and stability with the use of low-cost earth-abundant elements and scalable processing approaches gives this ZFCN composite immense potential for use as a stable high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries.